Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1887-12-07

your heart? Are the skies az bright whel
you look into them as they used to be whel
other eyes, now closed, used to look Int
themP Is there some trunk or drawer II
your house that you go to only on anniver
sary days, when there comes beating
against your soul the surf of great oceal
of agony? 1t is the cave of Adullaml Th,
cave OF Adullam! Is there some David her,
whose fstherly heart wayward Absalon
has broken? Is there some Abraham hert
who is lonely because Sarah is dead in the
family plot of Machpelah? After thirty o.
forty years of companiOnship, how hard il
was for them to partl Why not have two
seats in the Lords chariot, so that both the
old folks might have gone up at once? My
aged mother, in her last moment, said tr
my father, Father, wouldn't it be nice il
we could both go together?" No, no, no.
We must part. And there are wounded
hearts here to-day. The world canno,
comfort you. What can it bring yous
Nothing Nothing. The salve they try to
put on your wounds will not stick. They
cannot, with their bungling surgery mend
! the broken bones.
Zoppar, the Nssmsthise, and B:ldad, the
Shuhite, and Eliptaz, the Temanite, come
l n,
BILE comforters are they all. They cannot
pour light into the cave of Adullam. They
cannot bring single draught of water from
''the we'll of Bethlehem. which is by the
gate" But glory be to Jesus Christ, there
is comfort at the gate There il life in the
well at the gate. If you give me time, I
will draw up promise for every man, wo-
man and child in this house. Ay, will
do it in two minutes. l will lay hold the
rope of the old well. What is your troublef
''Oh." you say, 81 am so sick, SO weary of
Ilife-ailments after ailments." will draw
up promise: 'The inhabitants shall never
say I am sick" +" What is your trouble?
sob, it is loss of friends-bereavement," "
you say. I will draw you up promise:
fresh and cool, out of the well: 81 am the
resurrection and the life: He that believeth
in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he
llve." What is your trouble? You say it
is the infirmities of old age. will draw
you up promise: ''Down to old age I am
With thee, to hoary hairs will carry thee. :"
What is your trouble? "Oh," you say, 81
have widowed soul, and my children cry
for bread" bring up this promise: "Leave
thy fatherless ohildren-I will preserve them
alive. and let thy widows trust in me-" ]
break through the armed ranks Of your sor-
rows to-day. and bring to your parchsd lips
ga drink of the water of the we'll Of Beth
lshem. which is by the gate"
Again, tho Gospel we'll is at the gate of
heaven. have not heard yet enc single in
telligent account of the future world from
anybody who does not believe in the Bible.
They throw such fog about the subject
that do not want to 90 to the sksptic's beav.
en-, to the transcendenalist's heaven, to tho
worldly philosophers heaven. I would not
exchange the poorest room in your house
for the finest heaven that Huxley, or Stuart
Mill, or Darwin ever dreamed of. Their
heaven has no Christ in it; aud heaven
without Christ, though you could sweep the
whole universe into it, would be a hell!
Oh, they tell us there are no songs there;
there are no coronations in heaven-that is
all imagination. They tell US We will do
there about what we will do here, only on
larger scale-geometrise with clearer in
tellect, and with alpenstock 60 clambering
up over the icebergs in an eternal vacation.
Rather than that, turn to my Bible, and
fiud Johns picture Of that good land-that
heaven which was your lullaby in infancy
that heaven which our children in the Sab
bath.school will sing about this afternoon
that heaven which has "well at the gate"
After you have been on long journey,
and you come in, all bedusted aud tired, to
your home, the first thing you want 10 re-
freshiDg ablution; and am glad to know
that after We get through the pilgrimage Of
this world-the hard, dnsty pilgrimage-ws
will find we'll at the gate. In that one
wash, away will 90 our sins and sorrows. I
do not care whether cherub, or seraph, or
my own departed friends in that blessed
land place to nv lips the cup, the touch of
hot hi ill h. AL
reading Of how the ancients sought for the
fountain Of perpetual life. They thought if
they could only find and drink out of that
we'll, the old would become young again,
the sick would be cured, aud every body
would have eternal ljnvenescence. Ofcourse
thsy could not f1ud it. Eureka! have
found it! ''the water of the well of Bsthle-
hem, which is by the gate"
think We had better make q bargain
with those who leave US, going out of this
world from. tlms to time, as to where We
will meet them. Travellers parting ap-
poiut place of meeting. They say: "We
will meet at Rome, or we will meet at
Stockholm, or Vienna, or Jerusalem, or
Bethlehem" Now, when we come to stand
by the death pillow of those who are leav-
ing US for the far land, do not let US weep
as though we would never see them again,
but let us, there standing. appoint a place
where we will meet. Where shall it bes
Shall it be on the banks of the river? No.
The banks are too long. Shall it be in the
temple? No; no. There is such host
there-teu thousand time ten thousand.
Where shall we meet our loved ones? Let
US mako an appointment to meet at the
we'll by the gate. Oh heaven Sweet
heaven! Dear heaven! Heaven. where
our goG d friends arel Heaven, whore Jesus
is! Heaven! Heaven!
But while stand here there comes . re-
vnlsion Of feeling when look into your
eyes and know there are souls here dying Of
thirst, Notwithstanding the well at the gate.
Between them and the we'll OF heaven there
is great army Of sin; and though Christ
is ready to clear way to that we'll for
them. they will not have his love or inter-
cession.
But | am glad to know that you may come
yet. The well is here-the we'll Of heaven.
Come; do not care how feeble you are.
Let me take hold Of your arm aud steady
you up to the well-curb. ''Ho, every ono
that thirsteth. come." would rather win
one soul to Christ this morning than wear